The present invention relates to a communication management apparatus such as a personal computer which makes a movement of a symbol in a virtual world follow a movement of a user in the real world through a communication system in which the virtual world having a plurality of virtual spaces is constructed on a network, and the symbol of the user is operated to move from one virtual space to another virtual space. The system enables exchange of messages between users who make their symbols join the same virtual space, and the present invention also relates to a recording medium which can be read by this apparatus.
It is proposed for a communication management apparatus to manage users joining a virtual world through "substitutes" in a communication system which provides a service in that users operate from a user terminal apparatus connected to a network a symbol as a substitute of the user expressed by CG (computer graphics) or a picture to move between a plurality of virtual spaces such as structures or rooms which compose the virtual world (city, building, etc.) constructed on the network, and to enable conversations by means of speech or text through their substitutes between a plurality of user terminal apparatuses in which the respective substitutes join the same virtual space (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 8-191084, 8-191089).
In a conventional communication system, as long as a substitute of a user is present in the virtual world, that is, during a period between log-in and log-out such service as described above, another user may require communication to imagine the user corresponding to the substitute is present in front of the user terminal apparatus.
However, despite the presence of the substitute in the virtual world, the user may be away from the user terminal apparatus so that another user can not obtain any response from the user corresponding to this substitute when requiring communication of the substitute, and no messages can be exchanged.
Therefore, in circumstances where the user needs to move between several places during a period of log-in to the service described above such cases may often occur that messages can not be exchanged with a user corresponding to a substitute although it is present in the virtual world. Moreover, even if the user moved to a proximity of another terminal apparatus and is able to exchange messages, there are no means provided to know the destination to which the user moved.